This document summarizes an analysis of the New Treetops 2 textbook for teaching English to primary school students. Key points from the analysis include: - The textbook provides a generally balanced development of listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills, though there is a focus on listening activities. - The grammatical, lexical, and communicative progression is suitable for the target age group of 7-8 year olds. - The material is more than enough to cover the hours taught in a school year across 8 units divided by season. - While the thematic units are age-appropriate, they do not strongly promote intercultural awareness beyond some pictures of lifestyles. - The

1. Practical
Nº 12
Practice II. 2015
Corso, Erica.

2. Practice II: Didactics of ELT and practicum at primary school level
Practical Nº12
Baldomé, Daiana; Corso, Erica; Irusta, Carla
PRACTICAL 12: ANALYSIS OF TEXTBOOKS.
ANÁLISIS Y DISEÑO /CONTEXTUALIZACION DE MATERIALES Y
RECURSOS DIDACTICOS.
Analyze the textbook provided using the following criteria:
1) Is there a balance in the development of the four macro skills?
2) Is the grammatical, lexical and communicative progression suitable for the
age of the students?
3) Is the material enough/excessive for the number of hours you teach during a
school year?
4) Are the thematic units suitable for the age and social context of our learners?
Do they favour intercultural awareness?
5) Is there variety in the textual types offered? Is there language learning which
can be linked to the development of other disciplines: Social Sciences, L1,
Natural Science, Art, etc? (CLIL)
6) What kind of didactic approach is fostered: PPP, CLT, Task Based, Project
work, others?
7) Do the activities included in the textbook provide integration with prior
knowledge, extensive practice, revision and instances of self-assessment?
8) Is the workbook integrated with the book or is it presented separately? Does
it provide meaningful practice?
9) Would you recommend the use of this textbook for Primary/ at which level?
Why/why not?
10) Would it be suitable to follow the main contents for Primary Schools
present in our curricular guidelines?
The book analyzed is New Treetops 2, and the authors are Sarah M. Howell
and Lisa Kester-Dodgson; OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS.
1) In general, there is a balance in the development of the four macro-skills.
However, we have noted that there are more activities that have to do with
listening.
2) The grammatical, lexical and communicative progression is suitable for the
age of the students, who should be among 7 or 8 years old.
3) The material seems more than enough for the number of hours that we may
teach during a year. This book contains eight units, which at the same time are

3. Practice II: Didactics of ELT and practicum at primary school level
Practical Nº12
Baldomé, Daiana; Corso, Erica; Irusta, Carla
divided into four by the seasons of the year. Each unit may be approximately
taught in half a month, considering students have two lessons of English per
week.
4) Even though the thematic units are suitable for the age of the learners, it does
not make much allusion to intercultural awareness. There are some pictures in
one section about the life-style of a particular group of people but there is no
reference to their identity.
5) There is no much variety in the textual types. Most of them consist of
completing blanks with the corresponding word.
There is language learning linked to the development of CLIL: Science, Maths
and Art for each season.
6) The didactic approach fostered is task-based learning because the
organization of the book relates to a thematic unit, being the activities adapted
to that. Since the units of the book are divided into the four seasons, the lexical
items and tasks of each unit is connected to that topic.
7) The activities included in the textbook contain instances of extensive practice
and revision but there are neither activities concerning self-assessment nor ones
that activate learners' prior knowledge (there is no warm-up).
8) The workbook is integrated with the book. It provides students with
meaningful, interesting activities that enlarge what they have learned so far.
9) We would recommend it, though it is necessary to add extra materials (texts,
videos, etc.). This book would be adequate to be used in primary school, from
fourth year onwards (beginners).
10) The book would be suitable, since it includes the contents of the curricular
guidelines for Primary Schools. For instance, the axis that concerns the
Reflection of the Language that is being Learned is applied in the book. The
grammatical structures that are worked on are have/don't have; like/don't like;,
can/can't; the use of preposition;, Wh-questions; which are the ones that are
described in that axis.
• Complete these book features:

4. Practice II: Didactics of ELT and practicum at primary school level
Practical Nº12
Baldomé, Daiana; Corso, Erica; Irusta, Carla
PRICE AND AVAILABILITY: $310. The book can be bought on the
Internet, through “Mercado Libre”, for instance.
ADD-ONS AND EXTRAS: The book has a section called "Round up craft", in
which students are provided with more materials like stickers to work on.
LAYOUT AND DESIGN: It presents lots of colourful images, it has large
letters and the designs of the different seasons are clearly depicted.
INSTRUCTIONS: Clear and precise instructions.
SYLLABUS: The content and the organization of it adapts to the students'
level.
LANGUAGE SKILLS: Mainly, the listening skill is developed. Also, speaking
by repeating, singing, chanting. The reading macro-skill is encouraged by comic
strips, which appear at the very beginning of each unit. Writing activities consist
of filling blanks, answering questions, putting ticks, circling, completing
sentences.
TOPICS: Autumn: (revision of) numbers and colours, school objects; Winter:
rooms in a house, clothes; Spring: Toys, body & face; Summer: food and drink
items, and verbs.
CULTURAL APPROPRIACY: It is appropriate for our culture since it is
adapted to the order of seasons of our country.
TEACHER’S GUIDE: Within this book there is no teaching guidance.
WEB COMPANION: https://elt.oup.com/student/newtreetops/?
cc=ar&selLanguage=en